tnt

I am glad you don't write for the Herald either, with some of your quotes on GPL. I do think the Sioux have some leadership with the upperclassmen, and you obviously haven't seen Parise play much, because he has been nothing short of spectacular this year and the end of last, which hardly qualifies for the inconsistency you seem to imply by saying an NHL star one night and poor mini-mite goalie the next. But then again, you don't write for a paper and don't need to be objective. One thing we can both agree on however is that this should be some great hockey to watch.

The officiating in the WCHA has been suspect for a while, and how do they propose to fix this -- make Greg Sheppard a full-time position. He and his good ol' boys network are the reason for the problems. For instance suspending a linesman for making a good checking from behind penalty against the gophers years ago. Evidently Shep has changed his tune about checking from behind now, but back then he was amazed that a linesman would take it upon himself to do the right thing.

Anyone know who the ref will be this weekend? My bet is on Derek Sheppard, and daddy will follow him to town. Hoping that isn't the case, but I'm bracing myself for it.

If Jay Caufield, who played one game for the Sioux, can play in the NHL, I am not surprised that Leinweber is playing in the AHL. I know that Caufield was an enforcer, but still... On an unrelated note, what happened to Brad Bombardier? He was a top defenseman for Minnesota a few years ago, did he retire, or what's the scoop?

I guess my question is where was Weston Dressler when we needed him to be involved in the offense to get a few key first downs? Yes, he made that nice catch to get the Sioux in field goal range, but other than that, he was not used much in the fourth quarter. A few strategic first downs in that fourth quarter, and it was game over. If the Sioux wouldn't have wasted 20+ seconds after they ran the ball they could have made it a much more manageable field goal. A loss next week, which certainly isn't out of the question, could take a great year, and turn it into one of the most disappointing years in Sioux football history, simply because of how they destroyed most of their opponents. Apparently, not having anyone challenge them in the fourth quarter really came back to bite them yesterday.

I think Parise would have given up some of the goals that Phil did last night, but certainly not all of them. What Parise seems to give us is that key save that keeps us in the game. The Sioux had several chances to get up 3-2 and when they didn't, I knew it could come back to haunt them. Who knows how Denver would have reacted had the Sioux taken the lead. The Sioux could have used a few more key saves to give us a chance to stay in the game. In hindsight, I would rather win on Saturday, but as a fan, I would rather win on Friday, as it assures you of no worse than a split. I am sure it is a great relief to the players to get that first one as well, which may explain why they come out with less urgency on Saturday. Keep getting that Friday win and come out with more intensity on Saturday and things will be looking up again.

I agree that the official was very patient with Parise's mask problem, but looked like the problem resulted from getting hit in the crease by a UNH player. No penalty was called, so maybe it was his way of making up for that.

Darcy Zajac moved up to 7th in BCHL with a 5-point night the other day. I would think a feisty player who can score would be playing somewhere in college next year.

The one thing I've learned is not to speculate who will stay and who will go. How many times have people said they would be back and then don't. The odds that Jason Blake would be back for his Senior season were slim and we were all pleasantly surprised that he stayed. Bottom line is to enjoy them while you can, because nobody but the players themselves has a clue to what they will do. The best the coaches can do is make contingency plans and hope for the best.

The last thing we need this early in the year is to have someone booted for an early season game. One moment of anger or lapse in judgement for checking from behind in the post season or when the fight for home ice and playoff position comes right down to it, and we will be without some leaders for games we need them. Remember this is a young team, leadership is important. I think it would show leadership to let this circumstance go and save themselves for the stretch run.

Can people from Canada play for the NDTP? I thought it was a training ground for developing U.S. talent for international play. Do these players have dual citizenship?

I agree with you JK because I don't like the flaming either. In fact I think both programs are developing great NHL defensemen, albeit different styles, and I think NHL general managers and coaches would like to have their talent in either program. I guess when fans from opposing teams come on and try to flame rather than make respectful posts with thoughtful points, I tend to get sucked in every now and again. See Sagard and Greyeagle for examples of thoughtful posts with sometimes opposing views. I guess I should follow my own advice and hit the ignore button.

How many UND defenseman play every night in the NHL? 1. Leopold 2. Martin 3. Ballard Finley wanted to go to the Sioux or the Gophers. Hakstol could promise he would suit up for every game while Lucia could not. I'm glad he didn't come here....we expect a little more than 3 points and 198 penalty minutes from our defenseman. He commited to UND and then the scouts shot him up 2 rounds? Smoking too much fertalizer up there man. <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I thought that Brandon Wong committed to St. Cloud last year at some point. Did that fall through? If so, does anyone know what happened.

I had already clicked to reply to Skippy but then I figured the best way for him and others like him to disappear is not to respond. He is just looking for attention that his mother didn't give to him which is why he goes through life constantly intoxicated and identifies best with a sponge.

While I share your appreciation for how Matt Smaby played late last year, he didn't play great all year long. I do believe it is a sign of what we can expect of him this year, but traditionally points are focused upon a lot when determining All-American defensemen. I am sure Matt will put up more points with his new role, but I don't believe it will be enough to garner All-American status. I hope I am wrong.

It was an exhibition game for crying out loud. If you're going to draw all sorts of conclusions from one game, then the Minnesota Wild will win the Stanley Cup. It isn't a requirement on this board to be objective, what with the partisan nature, but it would sure be nice, if even ever so slightly.

Why didn't they just have people take their tests for them?

Besides, all North Dakota players have to do is be on the ice to get an assist.

I am just happy that St. Cloud decided to take the ball to start the game. The way their defense stopped the Sioux offense in the first half, they might have gained more momentum had they started on defense, and who knows how the complexion of the game changes. I think getting behind on the first play of the game really takes the wind out of the sails. If they play again and St. Cloud scores first -- who knows!

Hakstol thought they played very well and was impressed with Jones. For a first game against a veteran team that has already played, I thought they had a very nice outing. I would hope that people aren't going to pick at every mistake the freshmen make, because there are bound to be many of them, especially the first half of the year. I really didn't see anyone out there that made frequent mistakes. A mistake here and there is really to be expected. As long as they learn from them, the Sioux should be a pretty good team by the second half of the season.

I for one believe he will put up some pretty impressive numbers, especially considering some of the opponents the gophers will be playing on the large ice surface. I would be interested to know how many points you think he will put up? Remember, the people who pick those teams aren't going to use the same arguments about him being a one-way player that a lot of Sioux fans do.

Looks like Travis Zajac was right about his brother. I see he had a goal last night on top of a roughing penalty and the trifecta of fighting, instigating and misconduct penalties. Chay Genoway also scored for Vernon.